The NanoQEY (Nano Quantum Encryption) Satellite is a proposed nanosatellite mission concept developed by the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of Waterloo and the Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) that would demonstrate long-distance quantum key distribution (QKD) between two distant ground stations on Earth using an optical uplink. SFL’s existing and proven NEMO (Nanosatellite for Earth Monitoring and Observation) bus forms the baseline spacecraft for NanoQEY, with a QKD receiver payload designed by IQC. The primary objective of the NanoQEY mission would be to successfully distribute at least 10 kbit of secure key between two optical ground stations, where the satellite acts as a trusted node. The secondary mission objective would be to perform Bell tests for entangled photons between ground and space. We designed a compact QKD receiver payload that would be compatible with the mass, volume, power and performance constraints of a low-cost nanosatellite platform. The low-cost rapid schedule “microspace” approach of UTIAS/SFL would allow for the proposed NanoQEY mission to be developed in 2.5 years from project kick-off to launch of the spacecraft, followed by a one-year on-orbit mission.
The NanoQEY (Nano Quantum Encryption) Satellite is a proposed nanosatellite mission concept developed by the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of Waterloo and the Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) that would demonstrate long-distance quantum key distribution (QKD) between two distant ground stations on Earth using an optical uplink. SFL’s existing and proven NEMO (Nanosatellite for Earth Monitoring and Observation) bus forms the baseline spacecraft for NanoQEY, with a QKD receiver payload designed by IQC. The primary objective of the NanoQEY mission would be to successfully distribute at least 10 kbit of secure key between two optical ground stations, where the satellite acts as a trusted node. The secondary mission objective would be to perform Bell tests for entangled photons between ground and space. We designed a compact QKD receiver payload that would be compatible with the mass, volume, power and performance constraints of a low-cost nanosatellite platform. The low-cost rapid schedule “microspace” approach of UTIAS/SFL would allow for the proposed NanoQEY mission to be developed in 2.5 years from project kick-off to launch of the spacecraft, followed by a one-year on-orbit mission.
QEYSSat (Quantum EncrYption and Science Satellite) is a proposed microsatellite mission concept under development for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) that will demonstrate long-distance quantum key distribution (QKD) from space. Under the leadership of principal investigator Dr. Thomas Jennewein of the University of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) and in partnership with the Institut National d’Optique (INO), the University of Toronto Space Flight Laboratory (UTIAS/SFL) and the Neptec Design Group, COM DEV has advanced the QEYSSat mission concept over the last two years through a series of technical studies funded initially by Defense Research and Development Canada (DRDC) and subsequently by the CSA. QKD is a highly secure method of creating an encryption key between two remote parties using the exchange of individual photons. Current terrestrial quantum key networks employ optical fiber links for the photon exchange. The most important attribute of keys generated and distributed in this manner is the security of the method. In theory, QKD is impervious to eavesdropping because under the laws of quantum mechanics the properties of an individual photon cannot be measured without impacting its state. Any eavesdropping can therefore be detected, allowing a quantitative measurement of the security of the generated key. The principal shortcoming of this method is that single-photon exchange processes are necessary for the implementation of a QKD network, which requires either line-of-sight between the network nodes or the use of low-loss optical fiber. This line-of-sight requirement restricts distances due to the curvature of the Earth, and optical fiber is limited to distances of about 200 km due to losses. There is no way to implement a “repeater” or amplifier in the link because this would impact the state of the photon and essentially defeat the inherent anti-eavesdropping characteristics of the technique. Using satellites as nodes in the QKD network would overcome this distance limitation and allow keys to be distributed over much larger distances. QEYSSat will demonstrate QKD from space, providing insight into single-photon link behavior and also serving as a platform for fundamental quantum physics experimentation. The proposed mission is currently baselined to use the AIM (Advanced Integrated Microsatellite) bus developed by COM DEV for M3MSat (Maritime Monitoring and Messaging Micro-Satellite). AIM is a responsive, flexible and cost-effective platform that meets or exceeds the CSA’s Multi-Mission Microsatellite Bus (MMMB) specification. The proposed QEYSSat spacecraft would carry a quantum payload designed to measure the polarization of individual photons. It would operate in conjunction with dedicated ground stations that will transmit the polarized photons. The payload is expected to have the capability to generate the quantum keys and manage their distribution between distant ground stations. This paper will describe the proposed QEYSSat mission concept and summarize the development work to date. A successful demonstration of QKD from space could pave the way for the future development of secure global quantum networks for users in both government and the private sector.
Quantum communication is a prime space technology application and offers near-term possibilities for long-distance quantum key distribution (QKD) and experimental tests of quantum entanglement.However, there exists considerable developmental risks and subsequent costs and time required to raise the technological readiness level of terrestrial quantum technologies and to adapt them for space operations.The small-space revolution is a promising route by which synergistic advances in miniaturization of both satellite systems and quantum technologies can be combined to leap-frog conventional space systems development.Here, we outline a recent proposal to perform orbit-to-ground transmission of entanglement and QKD using a CubeSat platform deployed from the International Space Station (ISS).This ambitious mission exploits advances in nanosatellite attitude determination and control systems (ADCS), miniaturised target acquisition and tracking sensors, compact and robust sources of single and entangled photons, and high-speed classical communications systems, all to be incorporated within a 10 kg 6 litre mass-volume envelope.The CubeSat Quantum Communications Mission (CQuCoM) would be a pathfinder for advanced nanosatellite payloads and operations, and would establish the basis for a constellation of low-Earth orbit trusted-nodes for QKD service provision.
Quantum communication is a prime space technology application and offers near-term possibilities for long-distance quantum key distribution (QKD) and experimental tests of quantum entanglement. However, there exists considerable developmental risks and subsequent costs and time required to raise the technological readiness level of terrestrial quantum technologies and to adapt them for space operations. The small-space revolution is a promising route by which synergistic advances in miniaturization of both satellite systems and quantum technologies can be combined to leap-frog conventional space systems development. Here, we outline a recent proposal to perform orbit-to-ground transmission of entanglement and QKD using a CubeSat platform deployed from the International Space Station (ISS). This ambitious mission exploits advances in nanosatellite attitude determination and control systems (ADCS), miniaturised target acquisition and tracking sensors, compact and robust sources of single and entangled photons, and high-speed classical communications systems, all to be incorporated within a 10 kg 6 litre mass-volume envelope. The CubeSat Quantum Communications Mission (CQuCoM) would be a pathfinder for advanced nanosatellite payloads and operations, and would establish the basis for a constellation of low-Earth orbit trusted-nodes for QKD service provision.
Satellite nodes are an enabler of global quantum networks by overcoming the distance limitations of fiber and free-space links on ground. The design of quantum sources and receivers for satellites, however, is challenging in terms of size, weight, and power consumption, as well as mechanical and thermal stability. This is all the more true for cost-efficient nanosatellites such as the popular CubeSat platform standard. Here we report on the follow-up mission of SpooQy-1, a 3U CubeSat that successfully demonstrated the generation of polarization-entangled photons in orbit. The next iteration of the mission will showcase satellite-to-ground quantum key distribution based on a compact source of polarization-entangled photon-pairs, and we have recently completed the integration of a fully functional demonstrator as a milestone towards the flight model. We also briefly describe the design of the optical ground station that we are currently building in Singapore for receiving the quantum signal. We present the most important subsystems and illustrate the concept of operation.
Honeywell Aerospace is implementing on behalf of the Canadian Space Agency the Quantum Encryption and Science Satellite (QEYSSat), a Canadian-owned and operated scientific and technology demonstration mission aimed at developing the next-generation of secure communications infrastructure backed by quantum physics. The mission management is led by the Canadian Space Agency and the science is led by the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a method for issuing, via single-photon transmission, verifiably-confidential encryption keys between two parties. This capability is a powerful tool for the transfer of sensitive data (e.g. financial transactions, health records, etc.), however current terrestrial QKD networks are limited to a few hundred kilometres in geographic reach between nodes. The QEYSSat mission will use a satellite receiver as a trusted node to demonstrate the distribution of secure keys between ground stations separated by at least 400 km. In addition, Honeywell intends to fly an optical intersatellite link (OISL) terminal as a hosted payload on this mission. The QEYSSat mission will utilize both weak coherent pulse (WCP) sources and entangled photon sources in an uplink configuration to study the performance of QKD, and to perform Bell tests of long-range quantum entanglement. Honeywell is building the QKD receiver terminal consisting of a front-end telescope, a precision pointing and tracking system and single-photon detectors. Major technical challenges include polarization management throughout the optical chain, accurate pointing and tracking, and suppression of background and stray light sources. To address these challenges, Honeywell is leveraging its existing commercial optical communications solutions to meet the more stringent performance requirements for space-based QKD. The QKD terminal architecture consists of an afocal front-end telescope, a wide FOV high-precision pointing and tracking assembly, a polarization analyzer and single-photon photodetector system. A large-diameter on-axis telescope for geostationary optical communications forms the basis for the terminal’s front-end optics, and Honeywell’s commercial Optical Pointing and Tracking Relay Assembly for intersatellite Communications (OPTRAC) has been adapted as a quantum-ready pointing and tracking unit (QTRAC). For each element, substantial effort has been made to develop an optical system that preserves single-photon states with high fidelity despite the large number of optical surfaces in the chain. The optical assembly for the QKD terminal was developed and tested at the breadboard level in 2020; this paper will highlight the development and testing of these units as well as the overall architecture and concept of the QEYSSat mission.
This paper provides an overview of the major quantum communications programs at Honeywell Aerospace. Honeywell Aerospace is implementing, on behalf of the Canadian Space Agency, the Quantum Encryption and Science Satellite (QEYSSat), a Canadian science and technology demonstration mission which aims to explore the next generation of secure communications infrastructure delivered via satellites. The QEYSSat mission will use a satellite receiver to demonstrate the distribution of secure keys on a global scale via uplink configuration. Planned experiments with the QEYSSat mission include long-range Bell tests of quantum entanglement, and demonstrations of quantum key distribution (QKD) between QEYSSat and several ground stations to provide a testbed for practical key distribution and management. QEYSSat will also be used to further develop the practicality of space-based quantum key distribution. The QEYSSat satellite will be capable of acting as both a weak coherent pulse transmitter as well as a receiver for both BB84 and BBM92 protocols. Honeywell also will fly a secondary laser communications terminal as a hosted payload on QEYSSat. This payload will serve as a flight demonstrator for Honeywell’s commercial inter-satellite and space-to-ground laser communications terminal. The secondary payload will be enabled to also support a weak coherent pulse downlink. In addition to heritage-building, the secondary payload will also serve as an operations demonstration for the upcoming QKDSat network.Beyond QEYSSat, Honeywell is implementing the QKDSat mission in a public-private partnership with the European Space Agency. The QKDSat program consists of an initial deployment of a single satellite and multiple user ground stations for the purposes of establishing an operational global quantum key distribution infrastructure capable of connecting ground-based quantum key distribution networks at scale. The hybrid laser communications terminals hosted on QKDSat are based on the QEYSSat secondary payload design and provide a high-rate BB84 downlink as well as a high-speed bidirectional classical communications channel.Beyond space segments, Honeywell is designing and building a network of ground stations to support both the QEYSSat and QKDSat programs. The QEYSSat mission is expected to operate in conjunction with an optical quantum ground station developed by Honeywell and the Institute for Quantum Computing, hosted by the Canadian Space Agency. The QKDSat mission focuses on a ground network which includes sites in the UK and continental Europe.This paper provides an overview of both the QEYSSat and QKDSat missions including the quantum payloads, ground segments, and the payload and mission-level performance indicators.